Third Vietnam Rice Festival kicks off

At the opening ceremony, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reveals the logo of Vietnam’s rice brand (Photo VNA)

Long An (VNA) – The third Vietnam Rice Festival kicked off in the
Mekong Delta province of Long An on December 18.

The week-long event is being run by the Vietnam Farmer’s Union, the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development and the provincial People’s Committee.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Farmer’s Union Luong Quoc Doan said the festival is
an important part of the country’s strategy for agriculture development, and
rice production and exports.

It also affirms the key economic role and brand of Vietnamese rice in the
global market, he added.

The event aims to promote the advantages of the Mekong Delta and enable
domestic and foreign organisations, businesses and investors to seek
cooperation opportunities.

It features a wide range of activities, including a trade fair on Vietnamese
rice involving more than 600 businesses and localities, a contest on the
Vietnamese rice brand and workshops on climate change adaptation and rice brand
development.

At the opening ceremony, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development revealed
the logo of Vietnam’s rice brand.

The logo of Vietnam's rice brand (Photo VNA)

The first edition of the festival was held in 2009 in Hau Giang province.

In the past few months, rice has been the fastest-growing currency earner among
agro-forestry-fisheries products. From January-November 2018, Vietnam exported
5.7 million tonnes of rice worth 2.86 billion USD, up 16.8 percent year-on-year
in terms of value.

The number of Vietnam’s rice export markets has increased to 150 countries and
territories from 60 over the last three years. Apart from traditional markets,
more Vietnamese rice has reached Latin American and Middle East countries.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade forecast that rice exports will hit 6.2
million tonnes this year, up 6.6 percent annually, bringing home nearly 3.12
billion USD, up 18.5 percent year-on-year.-VNA